HDR and Photoshop How to create a great looking HDR image

HDR and Photoshop How to create a great looking HDR image

4:58 PM

HDR and Photoshop

How do I use HDR in Photoshop?

I get this question a lot! I have an answer for you, but it is not what you expect.

First, I can point you to the much more useful and practical free HDR Tutorial. Youll see that Photoshop is part of the process, although I strongly recommend you use something else to do the HDR bit.

For HDR processing, I recommend getting something called Photomatix use the code, TREYRATCLIFF, at checkout for 15% off. You can also get a free trial to play, but youll probably soon decide that you simply must have the full thing. Besides, its very inexpensive, especially compared to Photoshop! There are a few different Photomatix options at the website; personally, I use Photomatix Pro.

HDR in Photoshop Versus HDR in Photomatix

So I did an experiment to scientifically and artistically compare the two. To me, life is short and it doesnt make sense to use anything but the best. Because I do use Photoshop quite a bit, I really do wish I could do everything in there. It would save me time and make my workflow easier. However, even with the latest version of Photoshop CC, I still cant recommend using it for the HDR Processing bit.

Quick Verdict

Photomatix Pro 4.0 is the clear winner. Photoshop Merge to HDR is much better than earlier iterations of the software, but it has few other redeeming qualities.

Photomatix Pro:

  • Faster (MUCH FASTER see the chart below)
  • Upgraded noise-reduction just for HDR
  • Better ghosting control
  • and more image control for higher quality images

Photoshop Merge to HDR Pro excels in:

  • Having one integrated solution right inside Photoshop
  • Easier to learn because there are a few less controls

Photoshop vs. Photomatix Pro Comparison

Note that this testing was done in CS5, although there have been no significant changes I can see since Photoshop CC has arrived.

ItemAdobe PhotoshopPhotomatix Pro
RAW Photos Loading 7 Images (before Tonemapping)1:54 (Test 1)

2:01 (Test 2)

0:58 (Test 1)

0:56 (Test 2)

RAW Photos I make adjustments, then click to process0:50 (Test 1)

0:52 (Test 2)

0:08 (Test 1)

0:08 (Test 2)

RAW Total Processing Time (Average)2:481:05
JPG Photos Loading 7 Images (before Tonemapping)1:01* (Test 1)

0:57 (Test 2)

0:41 (Test 1)

0:40 (Test 2)

JPG Photos Loading 7 Images (before Tonemapping)0:27 (Test 1)

0:29 (Test 2)

0:07 (Test 1)

0:08 (Test 2)

JPG Total Processing Time (Average)1:270:48

* Photoshop Gives you a warning about not using JPG photos to make an HDR. You have to click OK, but I did not include that wait time in my timings.

Test Subjects and System:

I chose a 7-exposure session from a lake at sunset near Nikko, Japan. The exposures ranged from -3 to +3.

I have a speedy 17 MacBook Pro. I bought it about 9 months ago the specs are to the right.

In the Photoshop test, the only things running were Photoshop (in 64-bit mode), Bridge, and Skitch for taking screenshots. In the Photomatix Pro test, I kept those running + Photomatix Pro.

Photomatix Pro 4

Special Conditions:

Now, the Photoshop Merge to HDR Pro option does not allow me to turn on and off Auto-Alignment, Cropping, or anything else. Normally, I turn that off in Photomatix because I use a tripod. To keep the tests fair, I turned on the Align Source Images, Cropping, and Reduce Noise in Photomatix Pro. That way, it was doing the same tasks as Photoshop. However, in my normal conditions, I dont have those turned on, which makes Photomatix even faster.

Also, as you can see I processed with RAW and JPG files. I preach in my HDR Tutorial that using JPGs is just fine. I dont see any difference in quality. But, I do notice that JPGs are much faster. This is important!

Overall Speed

In these tests, Photomatix Pro 4.0 was much much faster. Theres almost no comparison.

Photomatix Pro processed the images in 1:05 Photoshop did the same job in 2:48. It was more than twice as fast!

There are two intense Computer Processing periods. The first is when you load the images into the program. After this is done, the human takes over and adjusts the sliders. Then there is a second period of processing.

Speed Loading the Images

Photoshop Merge to HDR was slow. Painfully slow! During the loading of the images, it give a few indications of why it is so slow. After a period of time it says Aligning. Then, after another bit, it says. Transforming. Then for another longer period, it says Crop. I did not touch the computer at all during this time I kept the timer on my iPhone going to watch.

In these tests, the only thing I had running was Photoshop and Bridge. This is not typical. Note that I am usually running Google Chrome, Tweetdeck, Mail, and iTunes for music. So all the times you see in the chart are actually much higher, and the delta between Photoshop and Photomatix Pro grows even more.

My first broken test:

What I had running in the background for all the tests before the reboot:

  • Tweetdeck
  • Google Chrome with about 6 tabs (gmail, websites, nothing too taxing)
  • iTunes playing music
  • Photoshop
  • Bridge
  • Apple Mail & iCal
  • Skitch

The first time I ran it with Merge to HDR Pro, it took 6:05 (six minutes and five seconds) to load. Just amazingly slow! Then, I thought, Well, I do have it in 32-bit mode, since I was also running some old plugins. So I tried it again in 64-bit mode. I shut down Photoshop and re-opened. Then I did the Merge to HDR Pro option through Bridge again. The second time it took 13:10. THIRTEEN MINUTES. I was just about to Force Quit the program I was sure something was wrong! How can this be in 64-bit mode? Isnt it supposed to be faster?

So I decided to reboot and try again. I was worried that maybe there had been a memory leak or something had just gummed up the works. Because thirteen minutes just didnt make sense! Now, I am using big images from a Nikon D3X. And these were RAW files, but that still seems like way too long

After I rebooted, I loaded NO OTHER PROGRAMS expect for Photoshop, Bridge, and Skitch. I did not like doing this for the test, because this is not a normal environment for me. I usually have several things running. This time, it was much faster and clocked in at 1:54. So, after this, I decided to restart the whole test and have nothing else running to keep the results as clean as possible.

Speed Processing the Images

After you make your slider changes, you can process them. There is a period of waiting whilst the image processes. Again, Photomatix Pro was not just a little faster, but way faster.

For the RAW files, Photoshop took an average of 8 seconds and Photoshop Merge to HDR Pro took a whopping 51 seconds (two tests at :50 and :52).

And remember I wasnt doing anything else on the computer I wasnt checking the mail or tweeting or anything just watching the water boil

Photo Quality and Control

Ive been using previous versions of Photomatix for years, so I am familiar with the sliders. Because I am a private tester, Photomatix would not allow me to post screenshots of the new GUI. However, it is very similar to previous versions.

The new Photoshop Merge to HDR dialogs are very similar to that of Photomatix Pro. However, they do not have nearly as fine control. There are about 1/3 as many sliders, which is good and bad. Its good in terms of simplicity, but it is bad it terms of flexibility.

I find that there are so many different sorts of HDR shooting conditions. The more sliders you have to adjust one part of a photo for one condition and another for a different condition the better. Ive processed a bunch of images with both now, and I prefer Photomatix Pro. I get much more fine-grained control.

More importantly, I feel like I get more pop with the Photomatix Pro controls. Its tough to explain what do you think? Whats your experience with these tools so far?

The two above images are from Photomatix Pro 4.0 (left) and Photoshop Merge to HDR (right). Although it is probably hard to tell at this resolution, I believe the Photomatix Pro one has finer control. Both tools allow you to move the sliders around until you are happy with the image so there is not really a one-to-one comparison possible here Also, I did not show the new GUI for Photomatix Pro 4.0 at the request of the developer.

Better Ghosting Control

I remember when Merge to HDR Pro was announced that it had this cool feature for repairing ghosts. Ghosts are those nasty bits where part of an image is moving around in the various frames. A dog running across the bottom of the frame would be a good example.

Well, Photomatix Pro 1-ups Photoshop! It allows you to control various ghosts around the frame at the same time! Basically, there is an intermediate step where you can drag the mouse around one area and select a new single source image for that area, and then do it again for another section. For example, you may want to pick the dog from one exposure and the blowing tree from another. Its great flexibility and very smart.

Noise Reduction for HDR

Photoshop did make some very nice changes with Noise Reduction, but that is part of the RAW import process. Since the Merge to HDR Pro option goes around that, you dont get any of the good Noise Reduction for HDR images inside Photoshop.

Photomatix Pro 4.0 has a newer, more robust way to reduce noise. It even allows you to adjust the noise in the input images before they even begin the processing period. Smart.

The image there to the right was taken from a single RAW. As most of you HDR veterans know, noise at night is a big problem. The new Noise Reduction in Photomatix (which works even for a single RAW photo) really saved me a lot of time.

You can click on the image there to go see the full size on SmugMug. Youll notice little white bits they almost look like stars that I drew in, but they are falling sparkles from previous explosions

HDR Toning Are you kidding me?

I was also intrigued by another little feature in Photoshop that all the videos were raving about. It is called HDR Toning and it allows you to take your image inside Photoshop and give it an HDR Look. Cool, I thought! Well, I got in there to try it, and it told me that I had to Flatten the entire image first! That means, basically, that you have to take all of your layers and make them one. This is a deal-killer for me, since I like to have several layers open while I am working on an image.

Worse, it makes no sense! Most of the other Photoshop filters and controls work on a single layer without requiring the entire thing to be flattened. Whats up Adobe? You gotta fix that up its sloppy.

The Final Photo The Lake at Nikko

This place was Cold with a capital C, as you can plainly see.

And worse, I had forgotten my special little gloves with the flip-up fingertips. So I was goin finger-commando while trying to line up this shot. The wind was pretty stiff in my face. The wind always seems to be against you, eh? I think I just never notice it when it comes from any other angle.

By the way, there is only one place that is convenient to quickly warm up your fingers.

There is an older, historic part of Nikko that is about a 30 minute drive away. The drive is practically straight up a mountain, through a series of switchbacks. During the entire time up the mountain, I was surrounded by clouds. I thought it would be quite miserable at the top. But once I poked out, everything was free and clear. I was between cloud layers, exactly where this chilly lake sat at sunset.

HDR-Photo

HDR Photos for you made with a combination of Photomatix and Photoshop

Here are a few photos photos for you. You can see more on at my Portfolio. I make a new one every day here on the home page at StuckInCustoms.com, so you are welcome to come back daily! :)

The Bamboo Forest While exploring Kyoto, I eventually found my way to this fanciful bamboo forest. There had been a light rain most of the morning and everything was quite lovely. The rain does strange things as it moves its way through these sorts of trees. I waited and waited, and that was nice too. In the early afternoon, the rain stopped while the sun peeked through the top. It shone down while the earlier rain misted down from the tops of the trees.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Moonrise Kingdom This is one of my favorite new pieces from this year! I just shot it a few days ago.It was shot waaaay after the sun went down in Big Sur, California. This is a crazy waterfall that pours off onto the beach. You cant see it from the road, and it requires a short walk. I found it thanks to Stuck On Earth, although I am sure other locals have known about this semi-secret place forever! You can go here too its not terribly difficult. Its called McWay Falls and its beautiful any time of the day.Also, btw, Id like to thank those of you that have been ordering more prints recently I am honored! :) You can always click just below the photo to check sizes and prices to find something to fit your budget. Thanks again!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Downtown Beijing After Rain Just about the only time you get a break from the smog is after a good rain. Im sure all that nonsense just ends up down on the ground and soaks slowly into the groundwater.Anyhoo, this is the CBD (Central Business District) of Beijing. And yes, I took this with the Sony NEX-7. Im working on that other piece I mentioned above and will put it up on the blog soon!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Long Road to New Zealand This is one of countless beautiful roads that crisscross New Zealand. I'm afraid I've forgotten exactly where I was when I took this photo! I know that is very lame, but I bet people around here can help me pinpoint the area.As far as the camera settings, this is the kind of shot you can get with something called "compression," a method where you use a zoom lens and zoom in quite far. It takes images in the distance and makes them larger than life.- Trey RatcliffRead more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Inception: New York I took these photos in New York City before going to LA to prepare for Burning Man. I found this spot below in midtown during a walk from Bryant Park over to the Facebook HQ in NYC. If you check my Facebook page, youll see some photos that Luke shot of me while I was taking this shot. Its the one when I was awkwardly up under my camera shooting almost straight up in the air! You know that position- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Mysterious Rock of Wonder The day in Death Valley was about 115 F (46 C). It wasnt a dry heat either there has been a lot of humidity here and there is flash lightning in the day and night. This location here took a lot of time, effort, and 4×4 to find. I took five gallons of water, a map, and some warnings from the place that rented the jeep that this area was inaccessible because of recent road wash-outs from rivers. Well, they were right! So getting the 4×4 over and through the washed out rivers took many more hours than expected. I only suffered one minor injury when my head slammed into the rollbar during a clumsy maneuver. But after I finally found this place Ive always wanted to visit, it was late afternoon with plenty of time to hike around before night fell.I look forward to your theories (from the boring to the surreal) of what makes these rocks move across the playa on their own!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the entire post over at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Central Park in the Fall I had spent the afternoon alone while traveling (as usual, it seems) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the middle of New York City. It sits on the Eastern edge of Central Park. It was a little cold outside, but I decided to walk across the park anyway, just as the sun was setting. As I moved through the trees, I found this little place and thought it would be fun to share.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Secret Workshop of Jules Verne This is perhaps my favorite find on my most recent trip to Europe. How can a place so wonderful exist in our world? It's amazing.I got a recommendation from a close friend that told me I would love this place. And he was right! As usual, to see the full-size image, click Original in the menu that appears when you hover over the image in SmugMug.This is the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and is one of the least-known places in Paris. Everyone goes for the hot tourist spots, and this museum sounds rather boring, yes? But as you can see... au contraire!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Reflections on the Eiffel Tower Isn't it romantic? What could be more perfect than a beautiful sunset here in Paris?There was a big storm all day long, but I could see the clouds were beginning to break up a little to the west, and I knew there was a possibility the sun would dip into an opening beneath the heavy clouds. So, with that intense possibility, I headed over to the Eiffel Tower area hoping the light would turn out right...I also made a behind-the-scenes video. Since you guys have been so nice over on Google+, I'll share that video exclusively there first, so be sure to stay tuned... I'm still editing the thing together!- Trey RatcliffRead more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Fourth on Lake Austin It was a tough night because I was on the edge of a bridge that was rumbling as cars went across. The evening was very windy, and there was a light driving rain right into my lens. I had to wipe down the lens after every few exposures and try to cup my hands over the top during the shot. This ended up being the first HDR photo to hang in the Smithsonian, and it made my mom very proud.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Southern Lights in New Zealand Im busy getting everything ready for the upcoming one-day event in Christchurch. I have a few surprises in mind, but they take a bit of preparation!I know that there will be many skill levels that I need to work with, and thats okay. I think well start really slow, then start moving faster and faster. Even when it gets a bit complex, I still think it will be interesting to new people!As for this photo, I took it during the amazing light show from the Aurora Australis down here on the south island of New Zealand.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

-The Great Wall of China-Wow I was alone here. As I walked along this ancient, original stretch of the Great Wall, I felt the ghosts haunting the old towers and little enclaves.I finally found an extremely remote part that is far enough away from civilization to stay pure. The ruins of the wall in this area has been overgrown with vegetation. When you walk along the top, you have to snake your way between huge bushes and all sorts of trees. Stairs and parts of the walkways have crumbled away in the past thousand years. The old towers are slowly fragmenting as lichens and moss cover parts of the stone that are decaying away.This has only reminded me that the main tourist part of the Great Wall is a very tiny stretch that has been re-built in recent years so it is all fake and kind of Disney-wall. I dont think I like thatThat day I walked from tower to tower, looking at the sinuous wall as it snakes over the mountains. Its so huge that I wont even begin to come up with analogies but, speaking of snakes, a family here told me to watch out for them. I kept that in mind as I hiked back in the pure black of night. I had a little flashlight to keep me company, along with my music. I didnt see any snakes, and I didnt fall down, so all together it was a great day and night.

The Chinese Technopolis How boring does the "Beijing Planning Museum" sound? Very!How surprisingly awesome is the "Beijing Planning Museum"? Very!The museum features a few giant city-models. And I mean GIANT! You can get a sense of the size of this thing by looking at the waist-height red rope around the outside. Not only is this a fully detailed model, but each of the buildings light up individually in a cascade, corresponding to a dreamy Chinese voiceover. The voice describes each sector of the city and what makes it unique. There is music playing in the background that I could have sworn was the same music as "Jurassic Park", so that was a very strange addition to the scene.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Lijiang at Night This is the old town of Lijiang, China, where I spent the week with Tom Anderson (the MySpace guy). I think I mentioned him before. Anyway, we got to be friends over the past several months, and we ended up spending a week together here in the south of China.Tom had first been here many years ago when he was setting up the MySpace office in Beijing. He had great memories, and he thought it would be great for a big return now that he is getting more into photography. So, it was definitely a week full of non-stop photography action.One late night after the sun had set, we weaved through the old streets until we found this place. Looking up, I knew it would be a wonderful place to take a photo, so I set up for this one.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Secret Crystal LakeThis remote lake was so icy cold. You would think it's about 33 degrees or something, right? It felt like absolute zero. I dropped a little piece of my tripod in here and my hand almost froze off trying to retrieve it.In the distance you can see where the glacier comes into contact with the glassy lake; it gives a sense of the epic scale here.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Hong Kong from the Peak on a Summer's Night If you want to see how I made this (and how you can too!), visit my HDR Tutorial. I hope it gives you some new tricks!I had a long day waking up at 5 AM to take a series of subways and trains up to Shenzen for some meetings. I had a Chinese VISA, which you don't need to get into Hong Kong, but I had to use to cross the official Chinese border after getting off the train. I didn't realize that it was a one-time use VISA, and I had to go to Shanghai the next day. This caused a lot of problems with the Chinese officials, a body of government with which I do not enjoy causing problems.Anyway, after I got back to Hong Kong after a day in Shenzen, I was hot and sweaty and in the sort of meeting clothes that aren't great for being hot and sweaty in. But, everything about Hong Kong was still awesome and I had too look hard for things to complain about. The sun was setting, and I made it up to The Peak just in time for a shot.This was a 5-exposure HDR shot at 100 ISO, and, of course, a sturdy tripod to get all the lights as steady as possible.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Sunset in Ibiza Ibiza is a fabulous island off the coast of Spain that is the "in" destination for all the Euros that like to get trashed, party, dress in white, do medium-level-drugs, and stay on the beach without many clothes.I saw this girl bouncing around and very happy about something, so I went over and said hello, introducing myself. She didn't speak much English, but I managed to ask her if I could take a photo of her. She enthusiastically said yes, and I explained the sitch as we walked over to the water, mostly using interpretive dance to span the language gap. She was Italian and her name was Wendy. I think that is a strange name for an Italian, but I didn't question it. Anyway, I asked her just to walk off into the ocean and I would take a photo. She did just that, and I grabbed this shot just as the sun was dipping below the horizon.- Trey RatcliffThe rest of this entry resides here at stuckincustoms.com.

The Treetop Temple Protects Kyoto I'm just finishing up almost two weeks in Japan, and it has been an amazing trip! Usually I try not to start posting shots until the trip is at its close, and this is the first.While there, I spent time all over the country. I got a rail pass and just jumped on the bullet train to take me from one remote spot to another. I ended up with a few days in Tokyo to do my best to capture the city. I'll be posting photos from the trip throughout the next few weeks, months, and years, as usual. I hope this is a new line of photographs that will be interesting to you.Photographed here is the Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto. The city is known for its traditional Japanese architecture, slower-paced life, natural beauty, graceful geishas, and zen peacefulness. I probably could have stayed in Kyoto capturing scenes the entire trip. I remained here until the sky turned black, and then I headed back down some winding streets to find an old small restaurant where the food was mysterious and every course was served with a gentle bow.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Approaching Mount Fuji from the Old Village What a perfect place this is!Ive been to Japan many times, but I never had the chance to visit Mt. Fuji! This time, Tom and I made a point to do it, and this was one of our fist stops. You can see much more about it in the video above!- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

A Neo-Rockwellian Christmas When dad is a photographer, then there is a major degree of pressure to deliver photos on all the requisite holidays and celebrations! So, I decided to try to re-invent the family Christmas photo with HDR. Please note that many of my inventions go down in flames, but, as Winston Churchill said, success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm.Christmas scenes have a lot of light levels. The lights on the tree, the deep greens withn the branches, a roaring fire, lights in the room, reflections off the ornaments, and the like. Its wild! Im pretty sure this is why people like Christmas scenes so much - a wonderful treat for the eyes that is rich in texture and rich in light. Traditionally, its been very difficult to capture so much richness in a single photo, saving a lucky and heroic combination of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and lenses.The tree lights made the faces of my three stunt-children (who are also my real children) glow perfectly. No flash could have achieved this, unless you are the kind of Rambo-flash guy that would go bury one inside the tree to hit their faces from the left. But, lets face it. Thats hard.This was a 5-exposure HDR. You will notice that I often use 5 exposures, but note I could have done it with 3 exposures at -2, 0, and +2. Some silly Nikon cameras, like the D3X I use, will not let you step by twos, so I had to take 5 at -2, -1, 0, +1, and +2. The middle exposure, from which the kids faces were masked in and perfectly lit, was shot at f/4 aperture, shutter speed of 1/250, 100 ISO, and at 28mm.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Farewell India I had a truly wonderful time in India and I can't wait to return. After spending most of the day exploring the Taj Mahal, I found a car to take me across the river. The bridge was over 100 years old and crowded with every type of locomotion - from donkey to pull cart to bike. After working my way down to the river, I found I could not quite get low enough to take the photo I wanted. So, reluctantly, I took my camera off my tripod and buried it in the mud, about half an inch above the water. I spent all night in the bathroom saying I was sorry to the camera... cleaning her up back into her old self once again.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

The Road to Mount Cook along Lake Pukaki These lenticular clouds are pretty rare but not on the south island of New Zealand! This is called the land of the long white cloud Im not sure of that means these lenticular clouds or not. Maybe a smart reader here on the blog can tell me!Anyway, I do love this photo I think it is one of my new favorites- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

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